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The Irish actor Michael Patrick, known for his role in the series Game of Thrones, passed away this Wednesday at the Hospice of Northern Ireland after a three-year battle with motor neuron disease, also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The news was confirmed by his wife, Naomi Sheehan, through a post on Instagram. "Mick sadly passed away at the Hospice of Northern Ireland. He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) on February 1, 2023. He was admitted 10 days ago and was cared for by the amazing team at the center. He passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and friends. There are no words to describe our deep sorrow," she wrote.
Patrick had been diagnosed with this progressive neurodegenerative disease in February 2023, approximately three years before his death.
In February 2026, fully aware of his situation, he refused a tracheotomy to extend his life in a hospital setting and chose to spend his remaining time with his family.
Despite his illness, the actor maintained an extraordinary artistic presence until the end.
In 2024, he became the first actor with a disability to portray Richard III by Shakespeare in Ireland, in an adapted production alongside his regular collaborator Oisín Kearney for the Lyric Theatre of Belfast.
In the adapted version, the character's congenital deformity was replaced with a diagnosis of terminal illness, reflecting Patrick's own struggle with ALS.
Jimmy Fay, executive producer of the Lyric Theatre, described his performance as one of the best performances ever seen on the Lyric stage, and the performance earned him the Judges' Award at the Stage Awards in January 2025, held at the Royal Opera House in London.
In 2025, he presented My Right Foot, a seventy-minute autobiographical work about his experience with illness, at the Dublin Theatre Festival, praised as a "masterclass in humor, honesty, and resilience."
That same year, he received the Overcoming Adversity Award at the Spirit of Northern Ireland Awards, in recognition of his artistic work and advocacy for causes related to illness.
His television career included appearances in Game of Thrones, Blue Lights, My Left Nut, Soft Border Patrol and This Town.
In Game of Thrones, he played a wild ruckus maker in the episode "The Broken Man" of the sixth season.
He trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, after studying Sciences at Cambridge University.
Sheehan described her husband as a "red-haired giant" and an inspiration to all who knew him. "He lived a life as full as any human being can live. Joy, vitality, contagious laughter," she wrote.
The funeral of Michael Patrick is scheduled for next Monday, April 13, at the Immaculate Heart of Mary church in Carryduff, County Down. His wife shared the actor's favorite quote from Irish writer Brendan Behan: "The most important thing in the world is to have something to eat, something to drink, and someone who loves you."
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